LYON, FRANCE—The Local
reports that a medieval treasure trove has been found near the Cluny
Abbey in eastern France. The excavation team, made up of researchers
from the University of Lyon II and France’s National Center for
Scientific Research, discovered the cache of twelfth-century coins while
looking for the corner of the abbey’s infirmary. Most of the 2,200
silver coins were issued by Cluny Abbey. The 21 gold coins, which had
been stored in a canvas bag, originated in the Middle East. Additional
gold items include a gold signet ring engraved with the word “Avete,” a
Latin greeting, and a folded piece of gold leaf.

Team member Vincent
Borrel said that in their time, the items discovered would have been
able to purchase a six-day supply of bread and wine for the abbey. For
more, go to “France’s Roman Heritage.”

In the 1970s, archaeologists in Bulgaria stumbled upon a vast Copper Age necropolis from the 5 th millennium BC containing the oldest golden artifacts ever discovered near the modern-day city of Varna. More than 300 graves were uncovered in the necropolis, and between them over 22,000 exquisite artifacts were recovered, including 3,000+ items made from gold.

A human face peers out of cracked clay—a man made image found in a cenotaph. With a diadem placed on the forehead, round plates on the eyes, a rectangular plate on the mouth, and piercings, earrings, and necklaces, some archeologists think this was the clay head of a figurine buried for religious beliefs. (Varna Regional Museum of History)

Other precious relics found within the graves included copper, high-quality flint, stone tools, jewellery, shells of Mediterranean mollusks, pottery, obsidian blades, and beads.

Gold Beads

Gold
pendants like these were often strung with stone beads. Some are
believed to represent pregnant women. (Varna Regional Museum of History)

This pendant necklace of gold, carnelian, and Spondylus shell was found in a cenotaph, a grave with no human remains. Archeologists believe it hung from the neck of a woman during the late Copper Age. A typical female adornment, its white, red, and gold are a unique color combination that offers clues to the world’s oldest known social stratification. (Varna Regional Museum of History)

Most people have heard of the great civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt and the Indus Valley, which are all noted for being the earliest known civilizations to feature urbanization, organized administration, and cultural innovation. But few have heard of the mysterious civilization that emerged on the shores of lakes of the Black Sea some 7,000 years ago in Bulgaria.

The Varna culture, as it has come to be known, was not a small and inconsequential society that emerged in a little corner of Bulgaria and disappeared quickly into the pages of history. Rather, it was an amazingly advanced civilization, more ancient than the empires of Mesopotamia and Egypt, and the first known culture to craft golden artifacts.

The Rise of the Varna Culture

Evidence suggests that it was between 4600 and 4200 BC, when gold smithing first started in Varna. As advances were made, and craftsmen mastered metallurgy of copper and gold, the inhabitants now had something extremely valuable to trade. Increased contacts with neighbours both north and south eventually opened up trade relations within the Black Sea and Mediterranean region, which was of great importance for the development of the society. The deep bay, along which the settlements of Varna, provided a comfortable harbor for ships sailing across the Black Sea and Varna became a prosperous trading center.

And so, the foundations had been laid for the emergence of a powerful and flourishing culture, whose influence permeated the whole of Europe for thousands of years to come.

Gold, copper, and stone artifacts from Grave 4, Varna

Elite members of society were buried in shrouds with gold ornaments sewn into the cloth wrappings and their graves were laden with treasures, including gold ornaments, heavy copper axes, elegant finery, and richly decorated ceramics, while others had simple burials with few grave goods.

Grave36

Excavators of grave 36 at Varna cemetery found a symbolic tomb filled
with artifacts but no human bones in the fall of 1974. Within four
layers of soil were rings, appliqués, strings of beads, two bull
figurines with bracelets, a miniature crown, a scepter, a sickle, and a
sheep knuckle-bone commonly used in the ancient world as a die—all made
from gold. (Varna Regional Museum of History)

Grave 36

Carefully polished with no grooves for inlays, this 1.3-inch tall crown (top) was found among the symbolic offerings in grave 36. Models of a hammer-headed staff (left) and its grooved companion (right), both found in grave 36. (Varna Regional Museum of History)

Gold zoomorphic appliqués,

more than six millennia old, appears to be a bull but has buffalo-like horns. / A. Dagli Orti / Bridgeman Images)

Grave 43

While there were many elite burials uncovered, there was one in
particular that stood out amongst the rest – grave 43. Inside grave 43,
archaeologists uncovered the remains of a high status male who appears
to have been a ruler/leader of some kind – more gold was found within
this burial than in the entire rest of the world in that period. The
male was buried with a scepter – a symbol of high rank or spiritual
power – and wore a sheath of solid gold over his penis.

Each weighing upwards of 110 grams, these bracelets were worn by the community’s chief and were an indicator of his high rank.

The burials in the Varna necropolis have also offered a lot more than the precious artifacts found within them and discoveries relating to social hierarchies; the features of the graves have also provided key insights into the religious beliefs and complex funerary practices of this ancient civilization.

Another great mystery that has caused many researchers to scratch their heads, are a group of 1,000-year-old gold pendants which have been unearthed within the Mayan ruins. These pendants measure just 150mm x 125mm in dimension, but they resemble objects that look almost exactly like modern-day airplanes. Some people debate the possibilities that these pendants are actually supposed to be flying insects or animals, but others bring up evidence that seems to prove that this is not the case. Airplanes, you see, require a part called a “vertical stabilizer”, which all of these pendants happen to feature, yet not a single animal on earth possesses. The question that remains is, “Could these aircraft actually fly?”

Greek Gold Diadem with Leaves, Carnelian Cabochons and a Horse with Rider, Panticapaeum, 3rd Century BC

A diadem is a type of crown, specifically an ornamental headband worn by monarchs and others as a badge of royalty.

The term originally referred to the embroidered white silk ribbon, ending in a knot and two fringed strips often draped over the shoulders, that surrounded the head of the king to denote his authority. Such ribbons were also used to crown victorious athletes in important sports games in antiquity.

High-ranking or wealthy Greek women often wore elaborate diadems and hairnets of gold and gemstones as part of their jewelry. Due to its protective quality, it also became important in marriage symbolism and was a common motif for women's jewelry of the Hellenistic period, and in royal Macedonian art more generally.

A diadem is also a jeweled ornament in the shape of a half crown, worn by women and placed over the forehead (in this sense, also called tiara).
In some societies, it may be a wreath worn around the head. The ancient Persians wore a high and erect royal tiara encircled with a diadem. Hera, queen of the Greek gods, wore a golden crown called the diadem.

Two gold diadems from Grave Circle A at Mycenae.

Mycenaean Sheet Gold Diadem Plaque, 2nd ML BC

The shape of this diadem is very similar to the one found by Heinrich Schliemann in the 1876 in Grave Circle A Grave III at the palace of Mycenae except that diadem included seven spear shaped attachments that gave the impression of a sunburst.

By extension, "diadem" can be used generally for an emblem of regal power or dignity. The head regalia worn by Roman Emperors, from the time of Diocletian onwards, is described as a diadem in the original sources.

This highly detailed embossed sheet of gold is a diadem from Mycenae that was crafted around 1600-1500 BC.

It may be a funerary diadem ... “The headband is made of thin sheet gold and tapers at both ends. These durable objects decorated the hair of the living, but a diadem from Shaft Grave IV must have adorned the head of someone who had already died.”

The Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus describes Sarmatian tribesmen as “tall and handsome, their hair inclines to blond; by the ferocity of their gaze they inspire dread. They delight in danger and warfare.”A fascinating feature of Sarmatian society was the high status accorded to women. Sarmatian warrior queens were renowned in antiquity. Herodotus affirmed that the Sarmatians were descendants of the Amazons and Scythians, whose women “frequently hunted on horseback with their husbands; in war taking the field; and wore the very same dress as the men.” The Sarmatian tradition had it that “no girl should wed till she had killed a man in battle.” In ancient kurgans, sumptuous female burials often included swords and arrowheads together with elegant jewelry inlaid with dazzling gems in the Hellenistic style. Eastern campaigns of Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) spread Greek influences throughout his huge empire and exposed local artisans to new styles. The composite style that emerged is known as Hellenistic.

The Sarmatians were overrun by the invasions of the Goths and Huns in the 3rd and 4th centuries AD. The intense multi-ethnic encounter on the steppe resulted in a complex mix of cultures and artistic styles, evident in the artifacts found in the region.

The horse-cover consists of more than 15,500 golden links. Was found in the city of Azov .

The most impressive treasures of Ancient Thrace – the Mogilanska Mound treasure.

The 2,500-year-old Mogilanska Mound Treasure, also known as the Vratsa Gold Treasure, was found during the excavations of an Ancient Thracian burial mound in the downtown of Vratsa back in 1965.

a model reconstruction of the princess’s face based on the skull discovered in one of the Mogilanska Mound tombs created by renowned Bulgarian anthropologist Prof. Yordan Yordanov.

In addition to the human and horse skeletons and the chariots discovered
in the mound’s three tombs, the archaeologists also found a treasure
consisting of a golden laurel wreath, 47 gold appliqués, 2 golden
earrings, 4 silver phialae, a silver jug, a rhyton-shaped amphora, and
50 clay figures.
The Mogilanska Mound is believed to have been a royal tomb of the ruling
dynasty of the Ancient Thracian tribe Triballi which inhabited the
region of Northwest Bulgaria more than 2,000 years ago.

The elaborate gold earrings of the Thracian princess

The most valuable artifact from the Vratsa Gold Treasure is the golden
laurel wreath which decorated the head of an Ancient Thracian princess.

The golden laurel wreath worn by a Thracian princess from the Triballi
tribe which was discovered in the Mogilanska Mound in Bulgaria’s Vratsa

Another one of the most impressive items from the Vratsa Gold Treasure is a gold-plated silver greave (knee-piece) featuring the image of the Mother Goddess.

The forehead of the Mother Goddess depicted on the greave is decorated with a wreath, and her ears – with earrings.

Interestingly, the other decorations such as the golden earrings and the
golden laurel wreath found inside the Mogilanska Mound seem to mimic
the decorations depicted in the greave image of the goddess.

The
unique craftsmanship of the greave has led the archaeologists to
conclude that it was the work of a local Ancient Thracian craftsman.

The
Mother Goddess depicted on the greave wears a laurel wreath with gold
leaves and golden earrings that are just like the wreath and earrings
found inside the tomb of the Thracian princess. Photo: TV grab from BNT 2

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Terry Stanfill, born in West Haven, Connecticut, is a first generation American of Italian descent. She received a degree in English Literature with a minor in Medieval History from the University of Connecticut.

For her efforts in raising funds for the restoration of San Pietro di Castello, the ancient cathedral of Venice, she was decorated by the president of Italy with the Ordine al Merito, Cavaliere della Repubblica Italiana, and more recently as Commendatore. She is vice president emerita of Save Venice, Inc, and was founder of The California Chapter of Save Venice Inc.

Until joining Christie’s as an International Representative, she served as a director of the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, CA, served as a director of the Los Angeles Music Center Theatre Group and is currently a founding director and life trustee of LAopera.

Terry is an Overseer of The Huntington Library in San Marino, California as well as Reader. Her subject of research, the Normans in Southern Italy and Sicily in the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries inspired her to write her first novel, The Blood Remembers.

Terry is married to Dennis Stanfill, former CEO of Twentieth Century Fox, and MGM.

Their daughter.Francesca Stanfill Nye, is a novelist and journalist.

Their son, Dennis, is partner and managing director of HBDesign, Singapore.